Tajuan Washington (19) was charged with assault and weapons crimes after he allegedly shot five people at the Brass Mill Center in Waterbury, CT, during a dispute. None of the victims died. Washington was free on $20,000 bail on unrelated motor vehicle charges and he self-surrendered at police headquarters. His lawyer, public defender Justin Chan, said he believed Washington was defending himself and added Washington had been traumatized by losing a relative to gun violence. Chan added there were no convictions on Washington's record. A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
In an average year, 219 people die and 535 are wounded by guns in Connecticut which reported 74,874 firearm licenses in 2021; 23.6% of adults have a firearm in their home. Nationwide, every eleven minutes an American is killed by a firearm, turning the US into a warzone without a foreign invader. The Trumpf junta recently loosened firearm regulations, so Americans can expect more skirmishes and bloodshed in schools, malls, gyms, parks, movie theaters, and homes.
Yeah, this has been a lead story on local news here.
Arrest warrant sheds light on investigation into mass shooting at Waterbury mall
www.wfsb.com
... More information is being released on the suspected Brass Mill Center shooter Tajuan Washington.
Today is his 20th birthday. He is spending it in jail after being accused of shooting 5 people inside the mall on Tuesday.
A 42 page arrest warrant has shed light on the investigation.
Police have interviewed several witnesses and multiple victims.
Washington refused to talk to investigators.
One witness told officers, Washington was just shooting into the crowd of girls.'
Police also spoke to a 15-year-old girl who was with Washington during the shooting.
She claims a group of people, mostly women, kept staring at them before following them to a store.
She said, they were telling us to come outside, that they had something for us ... they were going to shoot us.'
Seconds later Washington allegedly fired seven shots. One man and four women were hit by the gunfire.
Washington turned himself in to the police. After searching his home officers found 5 different calibers of ammunition, a 22 caliber rifle, an AK-style rifle and the clothes Washington wore during the shooting.
Police claim they have surveillance video of Washington from inside the mall.
Luckily, the 5 victims survived.
Carlos Saiti owns a bagel shop in the mall. He was working on the day of the shooting.
"I heard the shots 5, 6 times, it was something like that," Saiti said. "Everybody got panicked, running."
Saiti says he immediately thought of his staff and customers. He instructed them to to get on the ground and stay low.
Chuck Keeler's friend works at the mall. He was at the mall today to check on his friend.
"It's scary if you're not used to stuff like this. I used to own a nightclub in Hartford, so I have a taste for how It can get. It's scary," Keeler said.
Washington is charged with 5 counts of assault and multiple weapons charges.
He is being held on a $2,000,000 bond.
He is due back in court on June 4th.
The mall reopened this morning.
...
Yup. The Brass Mill Center Mall reopened this morning. At 9AM for the walkers, and at 10AM for the shoppers.